VANCOUVER — When the UBC Thunderbirds women’s basketball team wrapped up an afternoon of team bonding at a go-kart track in Richmond on Monday afternoon, head coach Deb Huband gathered her team together and delivered a singular message.

“She said to us ‘OK, now you’re in the driver’s seat,'” Thunderbirds senior forward Alex Vieweg recounted Thursday following UBC’s resounding 85-51 win over the Alberta Pandas in the first game of the best-of-three Canada West opening-round series at War Memorial Gym. “We came into this game so prepared and at the end of every quarter, Deb would say ‘It’s 0-0, let’s do it again.'”

UBC actually lost the fourth quarter battle 15-13, a meaningless stat considering that they had doubled up on the Pandas 72-36 heading into the final frame, and finished the game with such a dominant tilt to the stat board that Alberta will have to come out with a determined early effort on Saturday (3 p.m.) to stave off elimination when Game 2 of the series tips off at War. An if-neccesary Game 3 is slated for Sunday, also at UBC.

The Thunderbirds had six players in double-figure scoring, shot 56 per cent form the field, including 50 per cent (9-of-18) from three-point range, and at one point late in the contest had registered assists on 23 of 28 field goals.

“We’ve been trying to put 40 minutes of good basketball together and tonight was the closest we’ve gotten to that,” admitted Huband. “I thought we came out very tough defensively and hot offensively. We were able to set the tone and didn’t let up for 40 minutes.”

Vieweg’s trey 3:08 into the contest put the Birds up 13-4, and they never took the foot off the gas.

Second-year guard Kris Young’s double-double of 12 points and 12 assists was one for the ages, her 12 helpers setting a new UBC single-game record.

“She’s a team player and I think she’d tell you she enjoys the assists more than the baskets,” laughed Huband of Young.

Guard Kristen Hughes led the Birds with 16 points, including 4-of-6 three-point shooting. Vieweg with 13, Leigh Stansfield and Tori Spangehl with 12 apiece, and and Zara Huntley with 10 gave the Birds their most balanced scoring effort of the season.

Along with an offence that not only connected from distance, but also outscored the Pandas 46-18 in the paint, there was a stout defence which kept Alberta to 32 per cent shooting from the floor.

*In Abbotsford, the Fraser Valley Cascades women made the first playoff game in any sport played on its own campus soil a memorable one, rolling past the Calgary Dinos 63-43 in the opening game of its best-of-three series. Point guard Tessa Klassen led a balanced group of Cascades with 13 points as UFV’s starting five combined to grab 12 offensive rebounds.

“Tonight was a real solid defensive effort,” said UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer. “We need to play this type of defence throughout the weekend to be successful.”

Game two is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m.

*In NCAA Div. 2 women’s play, the Simon Fraser Clan (11-6) moved into sole posession of third place in the GNAC standings with one more regular season game remaining following its 50-49 win on the road over Montana State-Billings (10-7). Kristina Collins hit the winning shot, a trey, with 1:29 remaining. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe led the winners with 20 points and 17 rebounds. SFU can clinch third with a win Saturday at Seattle Pacific.

Western Washington (13-4) clinched second place and an opening-round playoff bye after it topped host Seattle Pacific (10-7) by a 72-62 score.

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Head of the Class 2014

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